i did it! i did it! i’ve achieved the j. lo glow!

for months now, i have been in search for the perfect foundation to give me that glow that made j. lo synonymous with beautiful skin and complexion.  as it turns out, the perfect glow does not lie within the perfect foundation, but the perfect highlighter!  now that i know this, i must spread the word~!  when it comes to highlighter, it’s a whole another topic that i must dissect for you today.

first, if you have dry skin like me, then my current favorite highlighter would be the fluid sheer line from giorgio armani makeup collection.  this baby comes in variety of shades, some for highlighting, some for liquid blush, and some for the bronzer effect.  the great thing is it’s up to you and your skin tone on how you want to use it.  my 2 favorite shades for highlighting are #2, which is a more pale-peachy-champagne shade with visible sparkles if you get really close, and the #10, which is a golden-champagne shade with finer sparkles.  due to my super dry skin nature, i like to mix it with my foundation to achieve an all over glow, but if your skin is not that dry and it might look too shiny for you, then you can also just tap it lightly on top of your cheek bones, on your nose, and on your chin for more of a subtle highlight.  the key to any armani fluid application is the armani blending brush, which can be easily found on ebay for much less than the department stores.  its claim:

“Fluid sheer dresses skin in an illuminating veil of radiance. This unique, translucent formula is available in a range of versatile hues including makeup base shades, correcting shades, and radiance boosting shades. Blend your favorite fluid sheer with foundation to add radiance, polish and sculpting definition to your complexion. Or use it alone as a makeup base. All skin types. Perfects, sculpts and illuminates skin Complete and versatile shade range Sheer, lightweight texture and coverage

application techniques Application techniques: Wear alone as a makeup base. Mix with moisturizer for a boost of radiance and color. Blend Fluid sheers with foundation to achieve a limitless range of looks. Or use on top of foundation for added highlighting and contouring.”

giorgio armani fluid sheer - $55 is a bit steep, but it’s a pretty decent size bottle compare to other liquid highlighters i’ve seen.  also, do not trust the swatch on the website.  they do not even come close to the real shades.

people with oilier skin might want to stick with powder form highlighters, since it absorbs oil and won’t melt off as easily.  a trick i’ve learned from the shu uemura makeup artist on how to apply powder highlighters.  first dab a little powder on a soft blush brush.  then take a tissue and rub the hair of the brush into the tissue (i tried it with toilet paper, and the fiber in the paper just gets into the brush, so use something with fine fiber weaving).  next turn the brush upside down, so the hair is facing upwards, and tap the bottom of your brush against your wrist to work the powder into your brush.  now, you should barely seen any powder on the brush.  blow off any excess tissue fiber or powder.  after that, lightly brush it onto the top of your cheek bones, chin, and nose.  i especially love shu uemura’s face powder sheer in pearl.  the powder is really finely milled, so the texture is very smooth and not too glittery, and is easier to slowly built to the effect you want.

    “Loose powder that leaves skin luminous and glowing with vitality. Sheer & transparent finish. Good for highlighting facial structure & shape. Packaged with a velvet-textured puff designed specifically for sheer powder application. An InStyle Best Beauty Buy and awarded as one of Town & Country’s ‘Top 150 Best Beauty Product’.”

shu uemura face powder sheer in pearl - $32 is still a little pricey, but again they give you a good amount and still cheaper than giorgrio armani.